The Moms Blog Letters to God DVD Giveaway
We posted a review of Letters to God on Monday and I came across The Moms Blog which is giving away 5 copies of the Letters to God DVD. Visit http://themomblogs.com/momblog/?p=152 to enter to win your copy.
Thrifty Thursday – Free Samples
We all love free stuff right? Well some of the best ways to get free stuff is by signing up to get free samples in your e-mail, or mailbox. Through free sample offers I have received free snack items, free cosmetics, free lotion, tons of free shampoo conditioner, coupons, and lots more! You can do the same.
Usually the samples take well over a month to get to your door. These samples are usually just sample packets, although I have gotten a free full pack of gum to test. To get these free sample offers you don’t need anything other than a mail box and a few good free sample sources.
Here are three great free sample sources:
The Deal Seeking Mom ( I subscribe to her e-mail list so I get free samples.)
Faith and Family Freebies (I really need to update this!)
Walmart Free Samples (They have the BEST samples!)
Happy Sampling!
Choosing to SEE – Revell Blog Tour
I received the following book in exchange for writing a review. While I consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, my review is my honest opinion and thoughts of the book.
When I read the pitch for the Choosing to SEE (by Mary Beth Chapman with Ellen Vaughn) blog tour from Revell, I knew that I really wanted to read Mary Beth Chapman’s book. Having lost babies in utero, my dad and grandmother I understood the grief process and even though it has been a few years for some of my losses, I still grieve for them. I also knew that Mary Beth understood grief in a big way since she and her family lost their youngest daughter, Maria, in 2008 and I am always on the look out for books on grief written by credible Christian sources.
Choosing to SEE is Mary Beth’s life story. Her journey with God. I found Mary Beth as real as she could get. I laughed with her and cried with her as she shared her story. I empathized with her as she struggled to grasp where God is when things fall apart.
I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about the wife and family of Christian artist/song writer/musician, Steven Curtis Chapman, whom I have listened to since the late 1980s. I found their story encouraging and inspiring.
Choosing to SEE isn’t a book on grieving, that’s just one of my reasons for desiring to read it. Choosing to SEE is for anyone, as I am sure Mary Beth’s story will touch the hearts of all who read her story.
I love the quote Mary Beth has on her website:
Love of God is pure when joy and suffering inspire an equal degree of gratitude.
Introducing Our New Baby – Sir Eats Alot
I know, I know, some of you are probably saying “Finally!” but here is our new baby….Sir Eats Alot 
We think he is a precious addition to our family. His soft, silky, thick hair is amazing! He has the most hair of all our babies. My husband thinks it is growing thicker with each passing day, but I don’t think it really is. I just love the smell of a new baby! We are very thankful to the Lord for our son’s safe arrival.
Sir Eats Alot seems to be adjusting to life in the big bad world. I think he went through a growth spurt as soon as my milk came in because as his nickname says, he eats a lot. It has just been the last couple of days where it hasn’t been a nursing marathon of every hour or two 24/7. He has been having longer stretches of sleep and is more contented after eating. I am really hoping that he’s back up to his birth weight or beyond. I will find out tomorrow at our two week appointment.
Sir Eats Alot’s Birth
Sir Eats Alot’s birth wasn’t quite like my other home births. My water broke a few hours after the girls and I returned from mini golfing in the wee hours of August 18th. Contractions started soon after, but I waited a couple of hours before I called my midwife. We decided she should come because with my other two home births the babies came within an hour or two and she missed my last son’s birth by about five minutes!
Contractions continued to come, but did not get any stronger and as daylight broke through the sky, I knew I wouldn’t have the baby before all the children woke up. It was very challenging for me to labor with a house full of noise and people and I think it slowed my labor. I am a very private person and I would have preferred to labor quietly alone during the middle of the night. But, alas, that wasn’t to be this time.
So my labor slowed and wasn’t going anywhere so my husband took the children to the park, I tried to rest and then my midwife suggested taking some homeopathy remedies – two of them which are like black/blue cohosh – which can sometimes speed up a putsy labor. I had nothing to lose by trying. So I took that about 12 hours after my water broke, an hour or so later the contractions were getting stronger and by 3:00pm I was starting to feel pushy. 40 minutes later Sir Eats Alot was born into his Daddy’s hands. I haven’t pushed that long since my first child! I have pushed out a 9 pound 8 ounce baby in 1-2 pushes, so this was hard and tiring. All I wanted to do was lay down and rest with my new baby, which is exactly what I did!
Life with Our New Baby
It’s been two and a half years since we had a newborn in the house and oh! how soon we forget the demanding newborn days! So bear with me as I adjust my days, my work schedule, our homeschool schedule and life in general to accommodate this new baby of ours. Right now I am going on very little sleep and hoping life settles into a new normal (whatever that may be) very soon.
As you may have noticed, we abandoned our normal posting schedule this week, I forgot to post last week’s giveaway and we are still catching up on reviews from our Back to School Product Guide. It may take us another week or so to get back on track as we get all the reviews posted.
Until next time….
Bitten by the Business Bug – A Book Review
I received the following book in exchange for writing a review. While I consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, my review is my honest opinion and thoughts of the book.
Jason O’Neill was one of the people to respond to our Back to School Product Guide with a pitch about his Pencil Bugs and new book, Bitten by the Business Bug. He generously offered to giveaway a copy of his book to our readers, which is our current giveaway. The book was written by Jason, who is a teen entrepreneur. It is filled with common sense tips for business and life, all from Jason’s own experience.
I had hoped to have this review posted earlier but a certain little “Sir Eats Alot” (our two-week-old son) arrived earlier than anticipated and threw us off our posting and reviewing schedule. Bitten by the Business Bug is a must read for parents and their kids, whether you are interested in business or not. Jason is an inspiration. I am having my daughters read his book. Right now my oldest daughter is working her way through it and is about half way done. I will have her post her review, as well as her sisters’, so you get different perspective from them.
Schools do not teach entrepreneurship or thinking outside the box. That’s why my husband and I are interested in books like Jason’s to help fill in the gaps of our children’s education with supplemental material.
Bitten by the Business Bug is a close look at a young entrepreneur’s adventure into business ownership, the opportunities that have come with that ownership and the lessons learned. These opportunities and lessons have taught Jason so much more than he would ever learn in school alone. He and his parents have been wise in keeping school first, being a normal kid second and business third. In doing so this has allowed Jason to be a kid, but even more than that has taught him that just because he is a kid doesn’t have to limit what he can accomplish. Jason has big aspirations for Pencil Bugs and it will be interesting to see all that Jason will do in the future.
Jason is a philanthropist at heart. Since the advent of Pencil Bugs has given portion of his earnings a to kids in need, whether that is helping kids in foster care or sick children in the hospital. From donations to gift bags, Jason has helped meet the needs of children in his community.
I think both parents and children will learn much from Jason. I know I did and hope my children do too.
Visit www.PencilBugs.com for more information about Jason, his book and business.
Charm Factory Product Review
I received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While I consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, my review is my honest opinion and thoughts of the product.
I was able to pick eight charms to add on to this bracelet. I picked the:
Love Charm- Because I wanted another faith charm.
Big Sister Charm- Because I love being the big sister of 8 children. 
Amethyst Heart Charm- My birthstone.
Grand Piano Charm- Because I love playing piano.
Pink Crystal Music Note Charm- Because I love music.
Large Sewing Machine Charm- Because I love to sew!
Cross In Heart Charm- To show that I am a Christian
Large Dolphin Charm- Because I love dolphins!
When I got the charm bracelet I was REALLY excited. The bracelet was very well made, and has a adjustable length which fit my 7 1/2 inch wrist perfectly! I could not find any fault with this bracelet. And might be ordering a couple more charms to add on to the bracelet!
Here are some pictures of the bracelet:
I liked that the charms and beads are .925 sterling silver and manufactured in the United States, all lead and nickel free. Their pewter charms are also nickel and lead free. Charm Factory products do not contain cadmium, which is a concern with some products made in Asia. (The jump rings attached to their pewter charms do contain a small amount of nickel. A few imports that they do not make here, like some chains from Italy, are noted in product details.)
All of the charms where very beautiful, and makes such a nice accessory that goes with almost every outfit! Perfect for anyone who wants to have a bracelet that displays what they love!
Charm Factory’s costs vary on the charms that you decide to buy. They sell over 4,000 charms! And there is no limit to the amount of charms you can have! The charms range from pets, hobbies, to food charms.
I encourage you to check out charmfactory.com
Big Skinny Wallets Review
I received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While I consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, my review is my honest opinion and thoughts of the product.
I was sent the:
Woman’s Taxicat Bi-Fold Wallet In Pink and I really liked this wallet. It was not too bulky, and I loved the pink color! 
I really liked that the plastic “thing” in the wallet kept my money from sliding around and falling out. I thought that this wallet was a great addition to any woman’s closet! This wallet comes in 6 colors and is $23.95. I think this wallet is my favorite of the two wallets.
Executive Checkbook Bi-Fold Wallet With Zippered Pocket In Purple: This great wallet is perfect for the working woman as it holds about 40 thick plastic cards, checkbook, and stretched out cash money plus coins. Their special “divide & conquer” design breaks up your cards into 4 discrete areas so they don’t all stagger on one long row leaving huge lumps. How cool is that? The wallet was very nice. And comes in 6 colors. This wallet is $25.95
You may find more big skinny products at bigskinny.net come back soon as we’ll be doing a giveaway with them soon!
Movie Review Monday- Letters To God
We recently watched Letters To God via Netflix as we had a free one month trial. And we thought that this was a really great movie. This movie is about a young boy with cancer, and how he decides to write letters to God. And how is his family learns to deal with the pain of watching their son, grandson, and brother have cancer. This movie was very moving and you will need a box of tissues. The movie was funny in parts as well as sad in other parts. I highly recommend this movie for familys and children of all ages.
Here is the synopsis:
Tyler Doherty is an extraordinary eight-year-old boy. Surrounded by a loving family and community, and armed with the courage of his faith, he faces his daily battle against cancer with bravery and grace. To Tyler, God is a friend, a teacher and the ultimate pen pal—Tyler’s prayers take the form of letters, which he composes and mails on a daily basis.
The letters find their way into the hands of Brady McDaniels, a beleaguered postman standing at a crossroads in his life. At first, he is confused and conflicted over what to do with the letters. Overtime he begins to form a friendship with the entire Doherty family. Moved by Tyler’s courage, Brady realizes what he must do with the letters, a surprise decision that will transform his heart and uplift his newfound friends and community –in an exhilarating act of testament to the contagious effect of one boy’s unwavering faith against the odds.
Inspired by a true story, Letters to God is an intimate, moving and often funny story about the galvanizing effect one child’s belief can have on his family, friends and community.
You may watch the trailer below:
You can purchase Letters For God for various prices at many different retailers. Be sure to check out the Letters To God website.
Product Review: The Joy Of Jewelry
I received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While I consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, my review is my honest opinion and thoughts of the product.
I received the God’s Princess Peach Pearl Single Strand Bracelet to review and really like it! It is comfortable, with a nice fit, easy to wear, and is really cute! I like the colors that Miss Joy used and the cute clasp! The bracelet came in a very timely matter so I was impressed by that! She packaged it very nicely with ribbon in a cute box so it is already gift wrapped. It is very pretty. The bracelet is $17.99. Here is her description of the product.
“Large and small peach colored Swarovski pearls give this lovely bracelet texture, while amethyst Swarovski crystals give it elegance. Simple and beautiful, this bracelet is fun and pleasant to wear.”
Purple and Crystal Dangle Earrings
Pearl Double Stranded Bracelet:
You may visit The Joy Of Jewelry at the above link.
